Kingsman: The Golden Circle a tentpole for smart glasses
2017 Kingsman plays with smart glasses potential
Many credit the birth of the flip phone to Star Trek. Indeed, the 1960s sci-fi behemoth featured USS Enterprise crew sporting futuristic communicators. In 1996, Motorola mimicked the design with the first ever flip phone. Could Kingsman 2 do the same for smart glasses?
READ: Spider-Man: Far From Home and smart glasses
Now, the franchise’s popularity pales in comparison to the exploits of Kirk and Spock. But consider how smart glasses are a centrepiece of the Marvel franchise, with Tony Stark’s E.D.I.T.H. stealing scenes in 2019’s Far From Home.
The sequel to 20th Century Fox’s 2015 James Bond spoof Kingsman: The Secret Service packed a box office punch – netting $410 million off a $104 million budget.
Are the smart glasses sported by Taron Egerton’s Eggsy in Kingsman 2 that far off?
Credit: Kingsman Wiki
How Kingsman 2 imagines smart glasses
As a result, millions witnessed the inventive ways the film envisions the future of smart glasses:
- Holographic teleconferencing: lead character Eggsy meets virtually with fellow Kingsman agents, regardless of location (pictured below).
- Audio control: To impress his girlfriend’s royal father, Eggsy uses the help of Google and an off-site ally to answer questions with suspicious ease.
- Combat targeting: caught in a crossfire, the agent’s lenses place trackers on enemies. This allows for easy battlefield victories.
- Video conferencing: In the corner of his eye, Eggsy can track events taking place in a distant location. He ends up (momentarily) saving his friend’s life this way.
- Correspondence: Similarly, the glasses allow Eggsy’s support team to track his mission progress and provide intel. The glasses feature a high-def camera and microphone.
- Facial recognition: Accessing Kingsman’s database, the glasses instantly recognize faces in a crowd.
The film is a work of science fiction. As a result, it takes liberties in terms of....reality.
For example, it’s unlikely you’ll be allowed to buy an electrified lasso anytime soon.
Kingsman 2 plays with the near-future of teleconferencing
Credit: iBASIS
How soon can you wear Eggsy’s glasses?
Surprisingly, Kingsman 2’s portrayal of smart glasses isn’t that far fetched.
Taking Eggsy’s glasses into account, here’s what Vuzix smart glasses are currently capable of:
- Facial recognition: Much like in the film, security personnel can read faces to detect threats in large crowds.
- Voice tech: You can now control Vuzix products with Amazon Alexa. Hello, hands-free!
- Translation: With the Zoi Meet app, say goodbye to language barriers with real-time transcription.
- Drone control: You can already control remote items, like drones, through smart glass lenses.
- Streaming: You can stream Kingsman 2 and other movies with the Vuzix Blade.
- Conferencing: You can speak with colleagues and friends using Zoom and Skype.
When it comes to technology’s future, movies play a major role. They provide a glimpse of tomorrow.
Go ahead and let your imagination run wild with Kingsman 2. It’s currently streaming on Netflix.